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Environment Variables

Configurable Environment Variables#

Pixi can also be configured via environment variables.

Name Description Default
PIXI_HOME Defines the directory where pixi puts its global data. HOME/.pixi
PIXI_CACHE_DIR Defines the directory where pixi puts its cache.
  • If PIXI_CACHE_DIR is not set, the RATTLER_CACHE_DIR environment variable is used.
  • If that is not set, XDG_CACHE_HOME/pixi is used when the directory exists.
  • If that is not set, the default cache directory of rattler::default_cache_dir is used.

Environment Variables Set By Pixi#

The following environment variables are set by Pixi, when using the pixi run, pixi shell, or pixi shell-hook command:

  • PIXI_PROJECT_ROOT: The root directory of the project.
  • PIXI_PROJECT_NAME: The name of the project.
  • PIXI_PROJECT_MANIFEST: The path to the manifest file (pixi.toml).
  • PIXI_PROJECT_VERSION: The version of the project.
  • PIXI_PROMPT: The prompt to use in the shell, also used by pixi shell itself.
  • PIXI_ENVIRONMENT_NAME: The name of the environment, defaults to default.
  • PIXI_ENVIRONMENT_PLATFORMS: Comma separated list of platforms supported by the project.
  • CONDA_PREFIX: The path to the environment. (Used by multiple tools that already understand conda environments)
  • CONDA_DEFAULT_ENV: The name of the environment. (Used by multiple tools that already understand conda environments)
  • PATH: We prepend the bin directory of the environment to the PATH variable, so you can use the tools installed in the environment directly.
  • INIT_CWD: ONLY IN pixi run: The directory where the command was run from.

Note

Even though the variables are environment variables these cannot be overridden. E.g. you can not change the root of the project by setting PIXI_PROJECT_ROOT in the environment.